Read this for the facts about 31 March 1979: Gaddafi was the centrepiece of the event

Gaddafi with Lorry Sant, who accompanied him everywhere during his visit to Malta to mark the closure of the British base.

I was thoroughly sickened by that twerp Muscat’s pathetic posturing on ‘l-gholja tal-Helsien’ yesterday evening, with all his moronic talk about not taking sides in the Libyan crisis and may the gods strike us dead if we ever allow Malta to be used as a military base.

The daft sod clearly doesn’t see the irony in celebrating his freedom from a hakkiem while at the same time telling us that we shouldn’t take sides when a real tyrant and a bloody one mows his people down as they try to depose him.

What a prat, honestly. A prat in a suit with a squeaky voice and the face of a Halloween pumpkin with the light off inside. Not that any of this is his fault, of course, but it only serves to heighten the overall effect of dull-witted twerpishness. An hour of prating with a torch on a mound of stones in Birgu while that old warhorse Mary Spiteri warbles Mietna Ghall-Barrani and then off he trots to Portomaso biex jiehu d-dinner ma’ Michelle while the crisis intensifies and he doesn’t have any insight at all into how Malta figures in the mess.

Ahjar naghmlu marketing campaign ghat-turizmu, man. X’naqa buzz, ustja.

But what annoyed me more than Muscat’s fatuous and childish talk was the visual entertainment laid on by Coconut Central: film footage of the original Jum Il-Helsien on 31 March 1979, with Muammar Gaddafi carefully edited out. I am old enough to remember very clearly that he was the centrepiece of the occasion and that Jum Il-Helsien did not mark only the end of an era with Britain but the beginning of a new one with Gaddafi’s regime.

That’s why so many hundreds of people lined the Valletta bastions weeping and waving as HMS London sailed out of Grand Harbour at 11am on April Fool’s Day, 1979: not only because the British were leaving after 180 years of good management that gave us all the tools we needed to become a European nation state and a language that allowed us to make something of ourselves, but mainly because we were now going to be hooked up to Gaddafi, who had bought Mintoff and Malta with money and cheap oil.

It took a minute to retrieve a facsimile of The Times of 1 April 1979 from the newspaper’s online archive, though rather longer than that to type out the reports of the ceremonies so that I could upload them here and give you the facts about what happened that day, and why I wrote in my diary, aged 14, “Everyone is so afraid. It is not so much because the British are leaving, but because Gaddafi is coming.”

Read on, and understand at last, if you don’t already do so, who and what was the real driver behind getting rid of the British and having Malta declare itself neutral.
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The Times, 1 April 1979

MIDNIGHT CEREMONY MARKS END OF BRITISH BASE

The two minutes on either side of midnight last night made history. The last minute of March 31, 1979 marked the end of an era – Malta ceased to be a British military base for the first time in 180 years. As March lapsed into April, Malta began a new life still uncertain insofar as its defence against potential attack is concerned.

They were a highly emotional two minutes, for the thousands who crammed the square at Vittoriosa, watched from the numerous boats crowded near the foreshore or who watched what was essentially a very simple ceremony on television. Those who will come in the future may re-live that historic moment, for yesterday’s flag ceremony is perpetuated in the bronze monument which last night was the centrepiece of the ceremonial.
(…)
The people were there in their thousands, all over the Cottonera area, muffled against the bitter wind. (…) The real focus of the evening was at Vittoriosa where, by this time, the many distinguished guests, Maltese and foreign, began gathering for the flag-raising ceremony. They included the representatives of many countries. Chief among them was Colonel Muammar Gaddafi of the Libyan Jamahiriyah, the only Head of State, except for President Buttigieg, to be present for the ceremony. Both presidents arrived together to be given a tumultuous welcome.

The Prime Minister Mr Mintoff, who throughout the ceremony stood among a number of people, smiling broadly, arrived just five minutes before the ceremony began. He too was given a tremendous welcome. The cheering of the crowd was accompanied by the hooting of sirens from tugs, horns from smaller boats.

(…)

The climax of the ceremony arrived one minute before midnight. A young British sailor, Signalman David Gilchrist, 23, of HMS London, whose home is at Sheringham, Norfolk, slowly hauled down the Union Jack, carefully wrapped it round his left arm, then moved forward to shake the hand of Carmel Boxall, 22, of Vittoriosa, an employee of the Public Works Department.

There were cheers and applause as the Union Jack was hauled down with more cheering and clapping a minute later when Alfred Xuereb, 45, of Cospicua, a Dockyard welder, hoisted the Maltese flag. A police bugler, PC Richard Cauchi, 28, of Hamrun, stood by.

These four men enacted a living tableau of the permanent one represented by the bronze figures high above the rough mound leading up to the four figures making up the monument.

With the hoisting of the flag, the bells of St Lawrence Church, the same temple where the Knights of St John and the Maltese sang the Te Deum on the lifting of the Siege of 1565, pealed joyously, their message being repeated by every church in Malta and Gozo. Fireworks were let off and there seemed to be no end to the cheering and hooting.

In a short address to the nation after the flag-raising ceremony, the President, Dr Buttigieg, said the closure of the base marked the opening of a new period in the history of Malta.

Dr Buttigieg, visibly moved, said that apart from rejoicing and celebrating the event, they had gathered together “to swear never again to have a foreign military base on our soil and that Malta remains for evermore a free Republic run by the Maltese for the Maltese.”

(…) He said that “although our forefathers fought and bled on the bastions, they continued to be ruled by the foreigner in his own interests, they continued to be trod upon by him, they continued to live in misery, above all their country continued to be a fortress from which the foreigner made war on our neighbours in the Mediterranean.”

Malta today had freed itself from the foreign military base not out of hate or vengeance but out of a strong act of faith because it wanted to fulfil a new mission of peace in the Mediterranean in the interest of peace in the world. The removal of the military base was considered as a big step forward towards peace.

(…) Dr Buttigieg said “our neighbours need no longer fear an attack by the foreigner from our country. Malta is now completely free and entirely in our hands. Not only shall we not attack them, but we must work together with them for prosperity and progress, so that the Mediterranean, historical a sea of war, will be turned into a lake of peace.”

(…) The Prime Minister and Mr George Agius, General Secretary of the General Workers Union, together walked to the urn, carrying burning torches and between them lit the flame which is to be kept continuously alight. They, carrying flowers, went up the slope and placed them in silent tribute. Behind them followed Cabinet Ministers and their wives, Mr Mintoff also finding time to warmly shake by the hand the man who hoisted the Maltese flag. Colonel Gaddafi, uniformed but smiling broadly, went up with a basket of flowers and acknowledged the cheers by waving to the people time and again before he and the officer of the Libyan Army who accompanied him saluted smartly and went back among the representatives of other countries present.

GADDAFI SPEAKS OF ‘COMMON FUTURE’ WITH MALTA

Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi yesterday formally announced Libya’s decision to give financial aid to Malta annually and that his country planned to press on other Arab countries to help the Island. Col. Gaddafi did not disclose the amount of aid which he said Libya would be giving Malta.

He said the fact that Libya was directly celebrating with the Island the closure of the British military base was proof “of a common future”.

Plain-clothes security police – Maltese and Libyans – swarmed the Mediterranean Conference Centre well before Colonel Gaddafi arrived. Colonel Gaddafi was frequently interrupted by cheers from the Maltese and a substantial number of Libyans crowding the conference hall. The Libyans, many of them carrying flags of their country and what looked like copies of the Green Book, stormed the conference centre and burst into chanting slogans and Libyan regional folk tunes.

One of the most favourite slogans was “Malta hielsa”, which they kept repeating with tremendous vigour. One group of Maltese also indulged in a rhythmic chant against Dr Borg Olivier and others sang Labour Party hymns.

Gaddafi, surrounded by personal bodyguards, was showered with red and white carnations as he entered the hall. With him, there was also Public Works Minister Mr Lorry Sant, who spoke on the March 31 celebrations.

Gaddafi spoke about Libyan aid to Malta towards the end of his speech, after hitting out at colonialism and after he spoke at some length on the significance of the closure of the base.

He said the Libyan people would cooperate with the Island to help it overcome the problems created by the closure of the base. Maltese workers, he said, would be given special treatment, He spoke of joint venture plans and confirmed that Libya would continue to give oil to Malta at a cheap price.

“We have also decided to give financial aid to Malta annually. This has been decided upon by the Libyan people.” But the Maltese, he said, should never be deceived again by colonialism. The interests of the European countries were not the same as those of Malta. NATO’s strategies were not consonant with the Island’s aims, he said. Today, the Maltese were beginning to really appreciate their own interests. The first step they had taken was that of closing the military base. Remaining neutral in the Mediterranean was the next step.

“We have promised and we will promise again that we will stand by you.” No doubt, added Colonel Gaddafi, the Maltese will embrace neutrality and would make the colonialist powers respect Malta. The Maltese people of today were not those of yesteryear. They fully realised the dangers of having NATO ties, and would not accept to be part of the Alliance again.

The Maltese people today fully realised the dangers of having a military base on their shores. The Arab people, particularly the Libyan people, would support and stand by Malta. They had already demonstrated their willingness in this direction by the assistance given so far. Perhaps other Arab countries would now help Malta too. And as from that day, said the Libyan Leader, his country would press on other countries to help Malta. “We have promised this to Mr Mintoff and to the Maltese people.”

Colonel Gaddafi said they had done this because they believed that the future of Malta was the same as that of the Arab people. The two peoples had common Phoenician origins “and it is clear that our enemy is a common enemy.” Those who had caused so much damage to Malta were the same people who caused damage to his country.

Why were the Italians, the Germans, the French, the Americans and the British not celebrating with Malta? The Arab people, and particularly the Libyan people, were directly celebrating with Malta and “this is proof of a common future”.

Colonel Gaddafi went on to say: “We will stand by you strategically. We do not stand by you during the celebrations only, but all through your lifespan.”

Colonel Gaddafi started his speech by saying that there was no doubt that this “freedom” had been brought about as a result of the work of the Malta Labour Party, under Mr Mintoff.

The support given by the Libyan people had also led, in one way or another, to the freedom which the Island was celebrating, he said. As the British had left Libya in the month of March, they were also leaving Malta in March. British colonialism had been a common enemy to both Malta and his country.

The departure of the British from Libya led to the departure of the British from Malta and this, said Colonel Gaddafi, strengthened Libya’s freedom. Therefore, said the Libyan leader, they were celebrating a common event. There was now need for the two countries to support other countries aspiring to obtain their freedom. And here he mentioned support for the Palestinian cause.

AT TA’ GIORNI

Colonel Gaddafi, addressing some 1,000 Libyan students at the Libyan Electrical Institute, Ta’ Giorni, said that Libya will help to defend Malta if called upon to do so. Libyan intentions towards Malta were inspired only by the spirit of brotherhood, he said.

Given a rousing welcome by the students, who are studying in Malta, Colonel Gaddafi said he was glad to be in Malta during celebrations marking the closing down of the British base because this almost coincided with the anniversary of the evacuation of British forces from their bases in Libya. Malta and Libya should stand together against all forms of imperialism and Zionism.

Colonel Gaddafi said that the Maltese were cheated for a long time by being given the impression that the Arabs were their enemies; he added that Malta, like Libya, had gained nothing from Western colonialism.

Colonel Gaddafi told the students they were the ambassadors for the Arab world and should strive to dispel any wrong impressions the Maltese have about the Arabs. The students should also help in strengthening the friendly relations which exist between the two countries. He stressed the importance of personal contacts with the Maltese people.

Western propaganda in Malta, Colonel Gaddafi went on, aimed at creating fear of Arab countries, and also the feeling that without the British to protect Malta, the Island would be defenceless. Yet not on European country has offered to help Malta while Libya has promised the Island unlimited support.

The Libyans in Malta should consider all Maltese as their brothers and forget about local political differences.

Referring to the Egypt-Israel peace treaty signed in Washington last Monday, Colonel Gaddafi said that Egypt was thereby acting against the Libyan people. Egypt had now become a tool in the hands of the imperialists, which had been trying for a long time to find an instrument to serve them in the Arab world.

Colonel Gaddafi then dwelt on the principles of the people’s authority exercised through the Congresses and the People’s Committees. This system, unlike others, gave the power to the people and eliminated the possibility of one sector dominating the rest. There can be no real democracy, unless it came directly from the people through the Congresses, he said.

Colonel Gaddafi was accompanied by Mr Lorry Sant, Minister of Works and Sport, and the Libyan ambassador, Mr M. Z. Jallala.